Quite a lot of action this year—a very impressive cadre of 14 new artists on the list, and this time, they’re scattered from top to bottom, so look carefully. And 11 artists, including some Very Big Names, fell off the list this year.

You should check out the 1969 results on the results thread if you haven’t yet.

Post your ballots on the 1970 voting thread.


HALL OF ACCLAIM: TOP 50 CANDIDATES FOR 1970 ELECTION

Only releases through December 31, 1969 included.

1969 releases indicated with an asterisk.

1. THE DOORS
ALBUMS: The Doors (21); Strange Days (645); Waiting for the Sun (1819).
SONGS: Break on Through (To the Other Side) (1110); Light My Fire (33); The End (559); People Are Strange (1141); Hello, I Love You (1676).

2. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
ALBUMS: Bayou Country (1623)*; Green River (223)*; Willy and the Poorboys (323)*.
SONGS: Proud Mary (56)*; Born on the Bayou (2242)*; Bad Moon Rising (316)*; Green River (772)*; Fortunate Son (115)*.

3. THE BAND
ALBUMS: Music from Big Pink (73); The Band (3 *.
SONGS: Tears of Rage (2606); The Weight (192); I Shall Be Released (2403); The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (717)*; Up on Cripple Creek (1375)*.

4. LED ZEPPELIN
ALBUMS: Led Zeppelin (131)*; Led Zeppelin II (66)*.
SONGS: Dazed and Confused (473)*; Whole Lotta Love (76)*; Heartbreaker (1011)*.

5. FRANK ZAPPA/THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
ALBUMS: Freak Out! (279); Absolutely Free (1060); We’re Only in It for the Money (169); Uncle Meat (721)*; Hot Rats (203)*.
SONG: Willie the Pimp (Parts I and II) (2727)*.

6. VAN MORRISON
ALBUM: Astral Weeks (13).
SONGS: Brown Eyed Girl (101); Sweet Thing (167 ; Madame George (47 .

7. SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE
ALBUM: Stand! (174)*.
SONGS: Dance to the Music (251); Everyday People (345); Hot Fun in the Summertime (760)*; Everybody Is a Star (1191)*; I Want to Take You Higher (1019)*; Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again) (290)*.

8. CREAM
ALBUMS: Fresh Cream (1096); Disraeli Gears (177); Wheels of Fire (1096).
SONGS: I Feel Free (1501); Sunshine of Your Love (45 ; White Room (2352); Crossroads (1282)*.

9. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
ALBUMS: Surrealistic Pillow (163); After Bathing at Baxter’s (1333); Crown of Creation (2061); Volunteers (98 *.
SONGS: Somebody to Love (462); White Rabbit (215).

10. THE SUPREMES
ALBUM: Where Did Our Love Go (1984); The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland (1946).
SONGS: Where Did Our Love Go (211); Baby Love (71 ; Stop! In the Name of Love (143); You Can’t Hurry Love (421); You Keep Me Hangin’ On (81 .

11. SONNY ROLLINS
ALBUMS: Tenor Madness (1104); Saxophone Colossus (370); Way Out West (891); Night at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (1021); Night at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 2 (1150); The Bridge (115 .
SONG: St. Thomas (2551).

12. LOVE
ALBUMS: Love (2423); Da Capo (1649); Forever Changes (50).
SONG: Alone Again Or (219).

13. ORNETTE COLEMAN
ALBUMS: Something Else!!! (1861); The Shape of Jazz to Come (315); Change of the Century (762); Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation (501); This Is Our Music (168 ; At the Golden Circle, Vol. 1 (1584).
SONGS: none.

14. PINK FLOYD
ALBUMS: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (100); A Saucerful of Secrets (234 .
SONGS: Arnold Layne (702); See Emily Play (257); Interstellar Overdrive (1642).

15. CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND HIS MAGIC BAND
ALBUMS: Safe as Milk (423); Trout Mask Replica (54)*.
SONGS: none.

16. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
ALBUMS: A Girl Called Dusty (2881); Dusty in Memphis (96)*.
SONGS: I Only Want to Be with You (2876); You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me (1094); Son of a Preacher Man (199).

17. NICO
ALBUMS: The Velvet Underground & Nico (4); Chelsea Girl (2482); The Marble Index (1305)*.
SONGS: All Tomorrow’s Parties (1336); Femme Fatale (2013); These Days (1032).

18. MARVIN GAYE
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: Can I Get a Witness (2245); Ain’t That Peculiar (1553); Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (571); If I Could Build My Whole World Around You (2343); I Heard It Through the Grapevine ( ; Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing (2886).

19. THE FOUR TOPS
ALBUM: Second Album (2587); Reach Out (1486).
SONGS: Baby I Need Your Loving (82 ; I Can’t Help Myself (1401); It’s the Same Old Song (1581); Reach Out (I’ll Be There) (36); Standing in the Shadows of Love (156 ; Bernadette (2587).

20. BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD
ALBUMS: Buffalo Springfield (1351); Buffalo Springfield Again (330).
SONGS: For What It’s Worth (102); Expecting to Fly (1156).

21. STAN GETZ
ALBUMS: Hamp & Getz (2186); Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson at the Opera House (2614); Focus (1769); Jazz Samba (81 ; Getz/Gilberto (394); Stan Getz and Bill Evans (2433).
SONGS: The Girl from Ipanema (53 ; Corcovado (207 .

22. FAIRPORT CONVENTION
ALBUMS: Fairport Convention (2450); What We Did on Our Holidays (2337)*; Unhalfbricking (480)*; Liege and Lief (407)*.
SONGS: Who Knows Where the Time Goes (393)*; A Sailor’s Life (2572)*.

23. BILL EVANS
ALBUMS: Everybody Digs Bill Evans (1659); Portrait in Jazz (1689); Explorations (2257); Sunday at the Village Vanguard (479); Waltz for Debby (496); Undercurrent (2306).
SONG: Waltz for Debby (2639).

24. COUNT BASIE
ALBUMS: Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings (1310); April in Paris (1000); At Newport (1447); The Atomic Mr. Basie (657).
SONGS: One O’Clock Jump (865); Lester Leaps In (2182); April in Paris (1447).

25. IKE AND TINA TURNER
ALBUM: River Deep Mountain High (90 .
SONGS: A Fool in Love (2560); It’s Gonna Work Out Fine (2061); River Deep Mountain High (22).

26. THE RONETTES
ALBUM: Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica (1497).
SONGS: Be My Baby (12); Baby, I Love You (2461); Walking in the Rain (2535).

27. THE DRIFTERS
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: Money Honey (921); There Goes My Baby (269); Save the Last Dance for Me (670); Up on the Roof (870); On Broadway (894); Under the Boardwalk (1456).

28. DIZZY GILLESPIE
ALBUMS: Bird & Diz (1644); Jazz at Massey Hall (514); Dizzy Gillespie with Roy Eldridge (1572); Groovin’ High (1547); Birk’s Works (2360); At Newport (2130).
SONGS: Groovin’ High (2672); A Night in Tunisia (2463); Manteca (116 .

29. LEONARD COHEN
ALBUM: Songs of Leonard Cohen (182); Songs from a Room (1055)*.
SONGS: Suzanne (1007); Winter Lady (2884); So Long Marianne (2146).

30. THE TEMPTATIONS
ALBUMS: Meet the Temptations (2847); The Temptations Sing Smokey (1113); Cloud Nine (2014)*.
SONGS: My Girl (106); Get Ready (2363); Ain’t Too Proud to Beg (1287); I Wish It Would Rain (1326).

31. THE STOOGES
ALBUM: The Stooges (200)*.
SONGS: 1969 (1796)*; I Wanna Be Your Dog (293)*.

32. NICK DRAKE
ALBUM: Five Leaves Left (160)*.
SONGS: River Man (861)*; Way to Blue (1310)*.

33. THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: Little Latin Lupe Lu (2589); You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (24); Unchained Melody (793).

34. MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: Heatwave (655); Dancing in the Street (53); Nowhere to Run (1046).

35. ERIC DOLPHY
ALBUMS: Outward Bound (1943); Out There (1783); Live at the Five Spot, Vol. 1 (1834); Far Cry (2416); Iron Man (2297); Out to Lunch (300).
SONGS: none.

36. PATSY CLINE
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: Walkin’ After Midnight (1407); Crazy (146); I Fall to Pieces (415); She’s Got You (1626); Sweet Dreams (Of You) (1895).

37. THE ANIMALS
ALBUMS: The Animals (2877); Animalisms (2421); Animalism (2937).
SONGS: House of the Rising Sun (62); Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (1371); We Gotta Get Out of This Place (814).

38. NEIL YOUNG
ALBUM: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (16 *.
SONGS: Cinnamon Girl (1149)*; Down by the River (126 *.

39. B.B. KING
ALBUMS: Singin’ the Blues (2483); Live at the Regal (249).
SONG: Sweet Little Angel (275 ; The Thrill Is Gone (379)*.

40. THE KINGSMEN
ALBUMS: none.
SONG: Louie Louie (11).

41. MC5
ALBUM: Kick Out the Jams (216)*.
SONG: Kick Out the Jams (361)*.

42. THE CRYSTALS
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: He’s a Rebel (30 ; He’s Sure the Boy I Love (2494); Da Doo Ron Ron (169); Then He Kissed Me (972).

43. ART BLAKEY
ALBUMS: A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 (1236); A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 (2296); Moanin’ (781); Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk (152 ; A Night in Tunisia (1787); Free for All (206 .
SONGS: none.

44. THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS
ALBUM: The Gilded Palace of Sin (155)*.
SONGS: Sin City (1273)*; Hot Burrito #1 (2029)*.

45. KING CRIMSON
ALBUM: In the Court of the Crimson King (141)*.
SONG: 21st Century Schizoid Man (1107)*.

46. GRATEFUL DEAD
ALBUMS: Anthem of the Sun (2356); Live/Dead (359)*; Aoxomoxoa (1784)*.
SONG: Dark Star (651).

47. CHARLIE PARKER
ALBUMS: Charlie Parker with Strings (1735); Bird & Diz (1644); Jazz at Massey Hall (514).
SONGS: Koko (76 ; Ornithology (2456).

48. PROCOL HARUM
ALBUMS: Procol Harum (1727); Shine On Brightly (297 ; A Salty Dog (996)*.
SONG: A Whiter Shade of Pale (120).

49. JACKIE WILSON
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want to Meet) (539); Lonely Teardrops (479); (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher (264).

50. DION
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: I Wonder Why (819); A Teenager in Love (74 ; Runaround Sue (321); The Wanderer (1405); Abraham, Martin and John (201 *.

40. THE SMALL FACES
ALBUMS: There Are But Four Small Faces (2722); Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake (355)*.
SONGS: All or Nothing (2742); Itchycoo Park (674); Tin Soldier (2699); Lazy Sunday (1812)*.

41. JANIS JOPLIN/BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY
ALBUM: Cheap Thrills (221)*.
SONG: Piece of My Heart (711)*.

42. BEN E. KING
ALBUMS: none.
SONGS: Spanish Harlem (583); Stand by Me (67).

43. BUD POWELL
ALBUMS: The Amazing Bud Powell Vol. 1 (792); Jazz at Massey Hall (514); The Amazing Bud Powell Vol. 2 (2905).
SONG: Un Poco Loco (1616).

44. WOODY GUTHRIE
ALBUM: Dust Bowl Ballads (607).
SONG: This Land Is Your Land (163).

45. THEM
ALBUM The Angry Young) Them (803).
SONG: Gloria (116).

46. THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS
ALBUM: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (982).
SONG: California Dreamin’ (97).

47. BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETS
ALBUM: Rock Around the Clock (2042).
SONG We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock (45).

48. THE IMPRESSIONS
ALBUMS: Keep on Pushing (2636); People Get Ready (1325).
SONGS: Gypsy Woman (200 ; I’m So Proud (2736); People Get Ready (13 .

49. WILSON PICKETT
ALBUMS: The Exciting Wilson Pickett (2805); The Sound of Wilson Pickett (2414).
SONGS: In the Midnight Hour (89); Land of 1000 Dances (1610); Mustang Sally (2241).

50. DAVE BRUBECK
ALBUMS: Jazz Goes to College (2843); Time Out (324).
SONG: Take Five (730).

****

MOVING UP: The Band, Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention, Jefferson Airplane, Nico, Leonard Cohen, The Temptations, B.B. King.

NEW TO THE LIST: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, Sly and the Family Stone, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Dusty Springfield, Fairport Convention, The Stooges, Nick Drake, Neil Young, MC5, The Flying Burrito Brothers, King Crimson, Grateful Dead, Procol Harum.

FELL OFF THE LIST: The Small Faces, Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company, Ben E. King, Bud Powell, Woody Guthrie, Them, The Mamas and the Papas, Bill Haley and His Comets, The Impressions, Wilson Pickett, Dave Brubeck.

BUBBLING UNDER: The Jackson 5, The Isley Brothers, The Shangri-La’s, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Booker T. & the MG’s.

Whoops. Ignore everything below Dion.

(One of these days, I'll work out all the bugs in these lists...)